In the field of processing inlays, the inlays are often manufactured in series. The inlays generally are formed of paper, plastic, or the like, with one side comprising the inlay and the other side suitable for affixation to the surface of an object. Affixation is generally accomplished by means of an adhesive. Most commonly, a pressure sensitive adhesive is used on the side of the inlay suitable for affixation. For processing, the inlays are temporarily fixed to a long, flexible liner that can be rolled and unrolled easily. The liner is commonly composed of a paper layer which is silicone coated and referred to as the release layer. The inlays are generally placed on the release layer of the liner and temporarily fixed by their pressure sensitive adhesive.
It is often the case that one machine will be used to manufacture the inlays, apply them to the liner and then roll-up the liner for application of the inlays by a second machine. Each inlay is generally applied to one of a series of identical objects, such as labels, bottles, or other containers. However, it is often the case that an inlay orientation different than that resulting from the manufacturing process is optimal for placement on an object, such as a label. The manufacturer of the inlay has placed the inlay on the liner in the orientation that is best suited to the manufacturer. Because of the design of the label or any of the label's geometric characteristics, the orientation of the inlay may need to be rotated in order to fit the label.
Briefly stated, the orientation of the inlays on the liner that is most suitable for manufacturing the inlays is often not the most suitable orientation for applying or affixing the inlays to the objects. It is often desirable, therefore, to change the orientation of the inlays, for example by 90 degrees, on a liner after they have been manufactured in order to more efficiently apply them to the objects.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,969 to Reed discloses methods of transferring inlays from one liner to another liner and to a second orientation from a first orientation on a single liner. Inlays made from paper stock with adhesive on one side are lifted from a liner by a peel member and redeposited on a liner disposed perpendicular or parallel to the first liner. Air jets from a manifold are used to support the inlay as it is pulled from the liner and repositioned. The Reed patent also shows inlays being repositioned by a 90° rotation on a single liner. A hammer, roll, or air blast is used to firmly fix the inlay in its new position.
Unfortunately, the methods and systems disclosed in the Reed patent suffer from significant drawbacks. First, the systems do not work well with inlays that are thin and/or flexible. Such inlays have a tendency to curl or buckle after being removed from a liner, unless support is provided for the inlay. The one dimensional manifold will not prevent a flexible inlay from curling or buckling after it is removed from the liner. Second, the purely mechanical repositioning system is prone to inlay positioning error. For example, when transferring inlays from one liner to a second liner, it is difficult to maintain a constant spacing because the machines that advance the liners may not maintain a constant speed as the liner rolls are advanced. Furthermore, the purely mechanical repositioning system makes it inconvenient to set and adjust the spacing between re-positioned labels.
What is needed, therefore, is an apparatus for transferring and reorienting inlays on a liner that is useful with inlays of all types, even those that are extremely thin and/or flexible, that minimizes the errors in positioning the inlays on a liner by providing precise control over the depositing of the inlays on the liner, and that allows for easy and convenient control over the spacing of the inlays.